I love eggplant. Eggplant has always been one of my favourite veggies.
Quite some time ago when we were still in Brisbane, this Italian gentleman in the market from whom we often bought fresh vegetables was selling a box of odd-shaped eggplants – $10. I was excited and grabbed it. Eggplant Curry, Moussaka, Mapo Eggplant, Eggplant and Cucumber Salad, Japanese Braised Eggplant… I used eggplant in every meal for the next 2 weeks.
After 2 weeks, my husband came to me saying, “I do not want to eat eggplant for a while, thanks”.
Thing is, he had never been fond of eggplant before and this 2 weeks made him realise that he really does not like it… Ouch…
He says it is spongy, texture-less and tasteless, while I say it is versatile and absorbs flavour easily. It is quite interesting to know how we view the same thing differently…
Since then, I feel sorry for my husband and eggplant, and responsible to make up their relationship. I experimented with different ways of cooking – cook longer, cook shorter, use less oil, use more oil…, but all he says was “It is OK”.
However, however! I had a little breakthrough!
We went to this Middle Eastern restaurant the other day. We ordered a few dishes to share including Baba Ganoush.
He loved it…
Yes, he had Baba Ganoush before, but it was the first time to hear him saying “Delicious”. It was a creamy type of Baba Ganoush with Tahini. The difference was that it had a freshness and a bit of sourness. I carefully tasted it to figure out the secret, and tested my thoughts at home.
And…, here are the secrets…
- Add vinegar – white vinegar if you like it a bit more sour, otherwise Apple Cider Vinegar or White Wine Vinegar.
- Add Freshly Chopped Capsicum and Onion
- Remove as much liquid as possible from the Eggplant – the texture will be creamy and the flavour will not be bland. This also helps the smokiness of the baked eggplant to stand out.
This is it!!
This is my Baba Ganoush approved my husband. Hope you enjoy it as much as he does 🙂
Ingredients:
- 5 Long Purple or Japanese Eggplants – about 700g
- 2 cloves of Garlic – chopped
- 4 teaspoons of Lemon Juice
- 3 teaspoons of Tahini
- 1 teaspoon of Vinegar (Apple Cider Vinegar, White Wine Vinegar or White Vinegar)
- 1/8 Red Capsicum – finely chopped
- 1/8 Onion – finely chopped
- Sea Salt to season
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil to drizzle
Method:
For Baked Eggplant
- Preheat oven to 200 °C.
- Remove the tip of eggplants. Slice them in half lengthwise.
- Lay aluminum foil onto a baking tray. Place the eggplants skin-side up. Bake them for about 20 minute on the top rack until the eggplant’s skin is burned and blistered. Remove from the oven.
- Peel the skin off – it is easy to scrape the flesh off with a spoon. Place the flesh in a colander. Leave it for at least 1 hour to remove as much liquid as possible from the eggplant.
Mix Together
- Place the baked eggplant, lemon juice and tahini into a large bowl (or a food processor if you have one). Using a stick blender, combine all together until it becomes very smooth.
- Add vinegar, chopped red capsicum and onion. Fold them into the Baba Ganoush.
- Have a taste and season with sea salt. Transfer it into a bowl and drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil to serve.
A Little Bit of Soy 